Steven Spielberg has knocked his share of blocks off as a director. But in partnership with Electronic Arts, Spielberg's “Boom Blox” game franchise has done so in more literal fashion.

The party puzzle series for the Wii polishes its addictive game play dynamic in “Bash Party,” the sequel to last year's “Boom Blox.” Players use the Wiimote's motion-sensing power to “throw” objects at others and let physics do the rest of the work. The main play mode requires players to throw baseballs, bowling balls and bombs at towers of wooden blocks with varying point values. The more blocks that fall, the more points the player scores.

Complicating this arrangement are disappearing, exploding and chemically reactive blocks, point multiplier zones players can knock blocks against and all manner of static and moving obstacles to aim around.

In “Bash Party,” the complications widen as blocks take on conical, triangular and other shapes. Other blocks cycle between different point values determined by the moment of the player's throw. Swaying the fate of these blocks' fall are newly added conveyor belts, tractor beams and other machinations that must be considered when lining up a throw.

In other levels, the object of the game changes entirely. Space battles and pirate showdowns pit players against each other in shooting matches to pulverize each others' ships before their own go down. Slingshot levels require players to knock down blocks with the “pull” of the Wiimote or shoot them through mini golf-like obstacle courses. And Jenga-esque levels demand delicate hand movements to pull blocks out of their superstructures without tipping over the stack.

Better than any new play mode addition to “Boom Blox” in “Bash Party” is the expansion of the online mode beyond the Wii's cumbersome Friend Codes. Dozens - perhaps hundreds - of user-designed levels instantly await players online, and straightforward level ratings and popularity tracking enables picky choosers to go right for the best creations. This infinitely replenishing reservoir of levels - along with the ability to fashion one's own - extends “Bash Party's” lifespan indefinitely.

The “Boom Blox” motion controls feel about the same in “Bash Party,” though their near-perfection in the first game gave EA little room for improvement. The presence of the block-shaped mascots of all animal and alien persuasions is stepped up to a level of annoyance almost as high as that of the Rabbids in the “Rayman Raving Rabbids” series. They obnoxiously roar, bicker amongst themselves and even disruptively run into towers of blocks non-stop.

The game's mascots matter little in the lively party atmosphere where “Bash Party” is best played. Infrequent game players will relish the relaxed pace of sizing up and taking shots in addition to the game's easy-to-learn control scheme. Veteran players will find extreme depth in exploiting the game's delicate physics and free range of throwing to find the shots that net them the most points.

With “Bash Party,” EA has given the Wii perhaps the best party game in its already impressive lineup of them. But it may not remain that way long - Spielberg has two games remaining in his contract with the video game giant, and he does have a sturdy imagination.

If you play.

Game: “Boom Blox Bash Party”

Score: A+

Parental rating: E for everyone

Publisher: EA

Designer: Steven Spielberg

Platform: Wii

Price: $39.99

Play: Single, multiplayer, online

The final boss: Building on the first “Blox's” original and addictive game premise, “Bash Party” strengthens the position of Steven Spielberg and EA's franchise at the forefront of party games.